Toroidal coil winder



Sept. 2, 1958 A. K. FREDERICK 2,850,247

TOROIDAL con. WINDER Filed Oct. 22, 1952 2 Sheets Sheet 1 Y w INVENTOR.

ALTON K. FREDERICK ATTORNEYS Sept. 2, 1958 A. n FREDERICK 'roaonm. con. wmnsa 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 22, 1952 I INVENTOR. ALTON K. FREDERICK 5 3 A/A/QJ IIIIII/I/ I'Illlg ATTORNEYS TOROIDAL COIL WINDER Alton K. Frederick, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Coast Coil Company, a corporation of California Application October 22, 1952, Serial No. 316,330

6 Claims. (Ci. 242-4) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to coil winding apparatus and more particularly to improvements in apparatus of the type adapted to wind a plurality of coils of wire on a closed loop shaped core.

In the winding of toroidal magnetic coils on closed loop cores, such as a toroid, it has been common practice to rotate a bobbin, having a supply of wire thereon, through the space within the core and pay olf wire from the bobbin and tension same by permitting the wire to frictionally drag along an elastic member, such as a garker spring, encircling the supply of wire on the bobbin. With such construction it is difficult to precisely control the tension in the wire and especially when extremely small wire is employed breakage of the wire often occurs.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide coil winding apparatus of the type referred to having a bobbin which does not require an encircling elastic member.

Another object is to provide the bobbin with a tensioning device which frictionally engages the bobbin and slides relative thereto during pay oil? of wire therefrom and tensioning of the wire.

Another object is to provide novel apparatus for controlling the side pressure on the Wire.

Another object is to provide apparatus which facilitates application of the bobbin to its support rolls or its removal therefrom.

Still further objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan of the subject of the invention as viewed in the direction of arrow 1, Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation as viewed in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1;

Figs. 3, 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D diagrammatically illustrate various positions of the bobbin during formation of a loop of wire on a core;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 44, Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 55, Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section taken on line 66, Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged inwardly radial view of a fragment of the bobbin in the direction of arrow 7, Fig. 3A;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 88, Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a section taken on line 99, Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of Fig. 2 showing a counting device which may be employed therewith; and

Fig. 11 is a section taken on line 1111, Fig. 10, portions being broken away.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the invention comprises a frame formed of a horizontal base plate 10 and vertical plate 11 rigidly secured together in any suitable manner. Grooved rolls 12, 13 are supported for rota- States Patent O tion about parallel fixed axes by suitable bearings 14, 15, respectively, carried by plate 11, roll 12 being an idler roll and roll 13 being the driving roll, connected to a variable speed reversible motor 16 by pulley 17, affixed to the motor shaft, and belt 18 connecting pulley 17 with a pulley 19 afiixed to one end of the driving shaft of roll 13, the construction so far described being conventional in the art.

As best shown in Fig. 4, another grooved idler roll 20 is rotatably'supported by a shaft 21 extending through a slot 22 in a machine guideway 23 the latter being aflixed to plate 11, one end of the shaft being aflixed to a slide member 24 carried in the guideway and rectilinearly slidable in the direction of double arrow 25. One end of a compression spring 26 abuts one end of member 24 and its other end abuts a pressure plate 27 which abuts one end of screw 28. It will be apparent that the pressure of roll 20 against bobbin B may be adjusted by screw 28 which in turn will adjust the frictional engagement of driving roll 13 with the bobbin.

A lug 29 projects from guideway 23 and rotatably supports a vertical shaft 30 having an arm 31 atfixed thereto. One end of a spiral clock spring 32 is affixed to shaft 30 and its other end aflixed to a drum 33, rotatable about the axis of shaft 30, and secured against rotation by a pin 34 selectively engageable in any of a plurality of angularly spaced apertures in the lower face of the drum. It will be apparent that by moving drum 33 upwardly, pin 34 disengages with an aperture 35 after which the drum may be rotated to tension the spring as desired and after which the drum may be again locked to pin 34. A grooved roll 36 is rotatably supported on a pin 37, carried by lug 29, and a cable 33 extends around this roll, one end being connected to shaft 21 and the other end to arm 31. When arm 31 is rotated clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 4, the cable will bodily move member 24, shaft 21 and roll 20 to the left thus permitting removal of the bobbin from the grooves in rolls 12, 13 and 20.

The opposite end of arm 31 is provided with a ball and socket joint connection 38, the ball portion being rigidly secured to a pressure plate 39 which abuts a fixed pressure plate 40 secured to plate 11 by a plurality of studs 41. Referring to Fig. 6 in particular it will be apparent that the center of mass of plate 39 is to the right a of the center of the ball and hence the plate tends to rotate in a clockwise direction about the center of the ball. Spring 32, of course maintains the plate 39 against plate 40 but the eccentric or offset relation of plate 39 produces a slightly higher pressure'against plate 40 in the upper regions thereof than in the lower'regions. A U-shaped clip 42, secured to plate 39, thelegs of which engage arm 31, prevents rotation of plate 39 in the plane thereof.

Referring to Figs. 7 to 9, annular bobbin B is channel shaped in cross section, having an inner wall or bight portion 43 and a pair of spaced flanges 44, 45 extending radially outwardly therefrom. Grooves 46, 47 in flanges 44, 45, respectively, extend circumferentially around same and slidably carry a generally U-shaped member 48, having resilient legs 49, 50 which slideably engage, respectively, in grooves 46, 47, the bight portion or eye 51 of the member serving as a guide for paying oif wire supply 52 carried by the bobbin.

In the operation of the device, bobbin B, provided with an interlocking joint 53 of any conventional construction well known in the art, is spread apart at the joint and threaded through a loop shaped core C which is illustrated as toroidal. The joint is then closed forming an endless annular bobbin. Arm 31 with its attached plate 39 is swung clockwise (Fig. 1) moving roll 20 to the left. The

a secured within the channel of thebobbin in any manner understood in the art and the bobbin rotatedby motor 16 in a counterclockwise direction-(Fig. 2) until a suitable supply of wire has been formed on the bobbin, after which the wire is cut from its supply. The now exposed other free end of the bobbin is threaded around eye 51, across the outer face of flange 44 of the bobbin,'between plates 39, 40 and secured to the core in any; desired manner. The bobbin -is now rotated in the direction of arrow 55 (clockwise in Fig. 2) which direction is opposite to the direction of rotation while the supply. was being formed thereon. Figs. 3 .to 3D diagrammatically illustrate the cycle of operation in the'formation of a complete coil on core C. In Fig. 3 wire W has just become tight around core C. As a fixed point 56 on the bobbin moves to the positionof Fig. 3A, the wire is paying or feeding ofi of the bobbin around'eye 51 of member 48 in the form of a running kink,'member 4S sliding eircumferentially relative to the bobbin. and 3B, member 48 is being carried by the bobbin without relative sliding movement, a loose loop now being formed between plates 39, 40. Figs. 3C and 3D illustrate the loose loop as it begins to close around the core and Fig.

Between the positions of Figs. 3A

3 illustrates complete closing of the loop thus completing I the cycle.

others having greater or less resilient spreading force between legs 49, 50, thus varying the frictional engagement between this member and the bobbin. To facilitate I removal of this member a bend 57 is provided in which a tool may be inserted to move leg 49 toward leg 50, and thus release the member from grooves 46, 47. 7 Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate a counting device which may be employed with the construction so far described. In

this construction a phonograph pick-up 60, for example of the crystal type, is secured to arm 31 and is provided with a needle 61 extending through an aperture 62 in plate 39 and having a bent end 63 which engages plate 40.

ably and frictionally engaging said opposed side walls, adapted to intermittently move in the same circumferential direction of the bobbin and relative to the supply thereon, a portion of the device engaging the wire between the supply and the loop member, said device adapted to move relative to the bobbin when a completed coil is being tensioned, and move with the bobbinwhen a loose loop is being formed for the next coil.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said opposed's'ide walls are provided with confronting circumferential grooves, and the wire feeding and tensioning device is provided with portions frictionally and slideably engaging the grooves.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein the wirefeeding and tensioning device is generally U shaped, the leg portions thereof engaging the grooves and the bight portion engaging the flexible member.

4. In a coil winding machine of the type adapted to wind a flexible member about a closed loop member in a plurality of continuous coils, each coil extending transversely of a peripheral direction of the loop member and wherein a ring shaped bobbin, carrying a coiled supply of the flexible member is rotatably supported to pass through the aperture formed by the loop member, the improvements comprising; a fixed disk shaped backing plate around which the bobbin is adapted to rotate, a disk shaped pressure plate having a face thereof disposed in substantially facial engagement with .a confronting substantially vertical face of the backing plate, the flexiblenmember between the bobbin and loop member adapted to move between said faces of the plates, support means for pivotally supporting the pressure plate at one side of its center of mass whereby its mass urges it to rock against the backing plate and exert a greater pressure between upper portions of the plates than between lower portions thereof, and resilient means for urging the support means and the pressure plate carried thereby toward the backing plate, said resilient means applying a single force perpendicular to the pressure plate and passing through its pivoted support and center of mass.

V 5. In a coil Winding machine of the type adapted to wind a flexible member about a closed loop member in a As wire W passes beneath end 63 the needle actuates a V circuit including the pick-up crystal and registers on any suitable electrical counting device, each passing of the V wire indicating one turn on core As will be apparent, the counting device will register the total number of turns on core C. 7

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may bepracticed otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a coil winding machine of the type adapted to wind a flexible member around a closed loop member in a plurality of continuous coils, each coil extending transversely of a peripheral direction of the loop member, the

improvements comprising; a ring-shaped bobbin of sub-- w h n the ro s se ti na ar of id shared and l e plurality. of continuous coils, each coil extending trans- .versely of a peripheral direction of the loop member and wherein a ring shaped bobbin, carryinga coiled supply of the flexible member, is rotatablyv supported to pass through the aperture formed by the loop member, the improvements comprising; a set of angularly spaced rotatable rollers engaging the bobbin androtatably supporting same, one of said rollers being bodily movable to a position wherein thebobbin may be released from engagement with th'e rollers, a fixed backing plate, a pressure plate having a face adapted to engage a face of the backing plate, the flexible member between the bobbin and loop rnember adapted to moveb'etween saidfaces of the plates, an arm pivotally supporting the pressure plate for movement in a direction away from the backing plate, whereby the plates may be separated, and means connecting said arm and the bodily movable roller in such manner that predetermined separation of the plates moves the bodily. movable roller to said position.

6. Apparatus for winding toroidal cores comprising in combination an annular wire-carrying shuttleof, substantially U-shapedcross sectionhaving mutually facing annular grooves in the radial walls thereof and a'transverse joint therein adapted to be opened'to' receive the core to be wound, means for maintaining the joint closed,

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Smythe Apr. 17, 1906 Abbott Apr.-29, 1941 5 Childs Oct. 13, 1942 Reason et a1. Mar. 14, 1944 Dowd Jan. 16, 1945 Brown Aug. 6, 1946 Conklin Aug. 12, 1947 10 6 Morrow Feb. 17, 1953 Cradduck Mar. 10, 1953 Turner Sept. 29, 1953 Sivo et a1. Dec. 15, 1953 Harder Mar. 16, 1954 Cutch May 11, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain July 30, 1914 

